Method for operating a feces conveyor device

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a method for operating a manure transport device for livestock breeding operations with a manure conveyor belt driven in a circulating manner, arranged underneath a manure-permeable stall floor, with two driven return rollers about which the belt circulates, both driven return rollers being driven intermittently in the same direction at a different rotational speed and each return roller is driven more quickly or more slowly at intervals. The invention further relates to a manure transport device for livestock breeding operations, characterized in that the manure conveyor belt is liquid-permeable, a manure collection channel is assigned to the discharge end of the upper belt half, a urine collection device is assigned to the discharge end of the lower belt half, and the lower belt half circulates in a liquid-tight trough.

The invention relates to a method and a device for operating a manuretransport device for livestock breeding operations according to thepreamble of claim 1 and the preamble of claim 6.

Manure transport devices for livestock breeding operations, whichdevices comprise a manure conveyor belt driven in a circulating mannerarranged underneath a stall floor and which have a return roller, areknown, e.g., from DE 195 14 574 C1. This known device is suitable forpoultry breeding operations, whereby poultry excrete a relatively solidbut moist manure in which a separation of manure and urine is notpossible.

With the device according to DE 195 14 574 C1, the problem arises thatplanar textile structures can be guided as conveyor belts only withgreat difficulty, but they always have the tendency to slip from thedrive and return rollers due to the fact that the textile structure doesnot allow a trouble-free guiding of the belt. With this known device,the straight course of the belt has been ensured in that the returnroller is likewise driven and always has a higher rotational speed thanthe drive roller, experiments having shown that this arrangement makespossible a trouble-free guiding of the manure conveyor belt.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,119,373 describes a demanuring cleansing arrangement inwhich an inclined plane preferably covered by plastic sheets is formedbeneath a grating forming the stall of the stable animals on which planea pusher can glide which can be moved over the inclined plane by a motorwith the aid of a chain and roller drive. In order to maintain theconveyor device for this dung pusher constantly under tension, atensioning device in the form of a spring is arranged at one of the tworotating shafts, in particular that for the roller that is not driven,the spring acting on the bearing of the rotating shaft. Although thereturn roller is supported in a floating manner here, this is not adriven return roller.

With livestock breeding operations in which animals are kept thatexcrete solid manure and liquid urine, e.g., pigs, considerabledifficulties arise in carrying away this very moist, mushy mixture.Although a manure removal arrangement for small-animal farms is known,for example, from DE 35 28 604 A1, which arrangement has a two-partdesign, namely comprising on the one hand a liquid-tight floor partwhich serves as a urine collection channel, a fall-through grating beingarranged above this liquid-tight floor channel. This fall-throughgrating is formed by a conveyor assembly or conveyor belt that does notdisplay in a circulating manner an upper and a lower belt half, but israther composed of a single layer of a moisture-permeable material,which layer can, for example, be a mesh-like textile.

The use of such an arrangement in the case of swine breeding operationswould not be successful, since the solid manure involved here is stillrelatively soft and would fall through the fall-through grating.

If conveyor belts are used in swine breeding operations for the removalof the manure, a very quick fouling of the actual return rollers occursso that the conveyor belts slip off laterally. Likewise, the attempt inpractice to embody the drive roller and/or the return roller in a convexmanner in order to thus achieve a straight course of the conveyor belt,has not been successful because the fouling is too great and the solidmanure components equalize the convexity of the return roller and driveroller.

The attempt to design the return roller and/or drive roller as latticedrollers in order to thus achieve an appropriate guidance, has not beensuccessful, either, since these rollers inside the lattice then becomeclogged extremely quickly.

A method is known from US 2005/0028748 A1 in which the return roller canbe shifted in the longitudinal axis of the manure conveyor belt and isacted upon by an adjustment device through which a tensioning of themanure conveyor belt is regulated, the adjustment device producing thetension on the manure conveyor belt being intermittently active. It hashereby also been proposed to drive the return roller in the directionopposite to that of the drive roller. This known device has provenitself in practice but is very expensive in constructional terms.

The object of the invention is to create a manure conveying device forlivestock breeding operations in which a separation of manure and urineoccurs, in which the straight course of the belt is guaranteed despitesubstantial fouling, furthermore a cleaning of the return rollers takesplace, whereby furthermore this device is to be manufactured andoperated very cost-effectively.

This object on which the invention is based is attained through theteaching of claim 1.

Advantageous embodiments of the method according to the invention areexplained in subordinate claims 2 through 5.

In other words, a method for a manure conveyor belt is proposed which isguided around two drive rollers—the front and the rear drive roller.Both drive rollers are driven intermittently, but run at differentspeeds. Thus, for example, the front drive roller is driven temporarilyfor a period of a few minutes rotating more quickly than the rear driveroller and after a certain rest period, i.e., stoppage of the belt, therear return roller is driven more quickly than the front one, wherebythis switching can be accomplished most simply by a frequencycontroller, but can also be controlled by other electronic or electricdevices.

The roller respectively driven more quickly in a circulating manner runsmore quickly than the actual manure conveyor belt and through thefriction occurring between the roller and the underside of the belt, acleaning of the belt, a cleaning of the roller takes place and—which isvery important—at the same time the belt has the possibility ofreturning again to the straight course if it has drifted out of thestraight course.

The rotational speed of the two rollers is very low. For example, thereturn roller driven more quickly circulates at a rotational speed of1.5 rpm, while the return roller driven respectively more slowly isdriven at a rotational speed of 1 rpm.

The invention then further relates to a manure conveyor device forlivestock breeding operations according to the preamble of claim 6.

Advantageous embodiments of this manure conveyor device are explained insubordinate claims 7 through 15.

In other words, a moisture-permeable manure conveyor belt is proposed,to which a manure collection channel is assigned at one end, namely tothe upper belt half, a urine collection channel being assigned to theother end, namely the lower belt half. The lower belt half therebycirculates in a moisture-tight trough and the lower belt half conveysthe collecting urine away to the urine collection channel.

Due to the slow rotational speed of the actual conveyor belt, the manurealready dries on the upper belt half and is thus transferred to themanure collection channel in a relatively solid, almost dry condition.

The actual manure conveyor belt preferably comprises a perforatedplastic belt, whereby the size and type of the perforation depend on thecase of application.

The return rollers are made of stainless steel, so that it is possibleto add acids to the urine in order to thus avoid ammonia losses. Thetrough in which the lower belt half runs is preferably formed by acorresponding plastic sheet, which has the advantage on the one hand ofbeing absolutely leak-proof, on the other hand of having a high slidingability so that the lower belt half, thus the actual belt, can slide onthis sheet without difficulty.

In the simplest manner the trough is formed by lateral concrete stripsthat are preferably embodied inside plastic wall elements. These wallelements serve on the one hand with their base as support for the lowerbelt half of the manure conveyor belt, on the other hand the inclinedroof surface has the advantage that a conveying of the manure towardsthe belt can take place here, and finally these wall elements arenon-corroding.

The wall elements comprise individual sheets that seen in thelongitudinal direction are connected among themselves to one another inthat eyelets are formed in the rear walls of these sheets into whicheyelets corresponding stabilizing wires or bars can be inserted.However, at the same time, these wall elements lying opposite oneanother are also connected to one another by perforated sheet metalelements so that a solid construction is created.

Bearing rods are embedded in these wall elements and in the cementstrips, which rods support the upper belt half of the manure conveyorbelt.

In conclusion it should therefore be noted that through the proposalaccording to the invention a manure transport device is achieved that onthe one hand ensures a separation of urine and solid manure, whereby themanure is transferred to the manure collection channel well dried. Atthe same time, a continuous conveyance of the manure and urine occurs,which ensures that a good stall climate is achieved, i.e., a high airquality. Irrespective of these advantages, it is moreover achieved that,despite considerable fouling, the belt is always kept on a straightcourse and that a continuous cleaning of the return rollers takes place.Since at least one return roller is embodied to be tensioned, it is alsoachieved that the plastic belt can always be kept sufficientlytensioned, irrespective of the temperatures and loads prevailing in thestall.

An exemplary embodiment of the invention will be explained below on thebasis of the drawings. The drawings thereby show:

FIG. 1 A side view of a wall construction according to the invention

FIG. 2 A section according to the line 2-2 in FIG. 1, and

FIG. 3 On a larger scale a view of several combined wall elements toaccommodate the cement strips.

FIG. 1 shows a manure transport device 25 that features a manureconveyor belt 1 which comprises, e.g., a perforated plastic belt that isguided around return rollers 2 and 3 so that an upper belt half 4 and alower belt half 5 are formed. The upper belt half 4 rests on bearingshafts 20 and the lower belt half 5 rests on a plastic sheet lying onthe base 8, so that a good sliding ability of the plastic belt on theplastic sheet of the base is ensured here. This is not shown in this wayfor reasons of clarity in the drawing according to FIG. 1. The returnroller 3 is supported in an adjustable manner, i.e., so that it can betensioned, via a tensioning device 18. It is thus possible to keep theplastic belt 1 always equally tensioned constantly irrespective ofprevailing temperature conditions. The tensioning device 18 can workmechanically, hydraulically or pneumatically and can be controlledautomatically or individually.

Electric motors 27 and 26 are assigned to the return rollers 2 and 3,i.e., both return rollers 2 and 3 are motor-driven. The manure conveyorbelt 1 comprises a perforated plastic belt and at least the lower belthalf 5 runs in a trough 9 that is limited by side walls 10 and 11.

In the exemplary embodiment shown, a manure collection channel 6 isassigned to the return roller 2 and the upper belt half 4 when themanure conveyor belt 1 circulates in the direction of the arrow F, inwhich channel a conveyor screw is shown diagrammatically. In such anembodiment, a urine collection channel 7 is assigned to the returnroller 3, and, as is discernible from the representation in FIG. 1, withthis embodiment the last end of the base 8 is inclined slightly, so thatthe urine conveyed to this end by the lower belt half 5 flows by itselfto the urine collection channel 7.

The walls 10 and 11 are made of concrete, whereby these concrete stripsare limited by wall elements 28. Each wall element 28 comprises avertical wall 12, a roof part 15 and a base part 14, whereby the roofpart of the wall element 28 directed towards the trough interior isinclined towards the trough interior from the top downwards. The outerwall element 28 also supports such a roof part 15, but it is inclinedoutwards. Eyelets 16 are provided on the inside of the vertical walls12, which eyelets accommodate the interconnecting bars 19 that connectthe wall elements 28 to one another in their longitudinal direction. Inthe transverse direction the wall elements 28 are connected to oneanother by perforated sheet metal elements 17 so that a “stable mold” iscreated for the concrete to be poured. Furthermore, bearing shafts 20traverse both the wall elements 28 and the concrete strips on which theupper belt half 4 of the manure conveyor belt 1 rests.

The operation of this manure conveyor belt 1 is such that both returnrollers 2 and 3 are driven via the electric motors 26 and 27. The motor26 hereby sometimes runs more quickly than the motor 27 and after acertain time interval and a stoppage time, this drive is switched overso that then the motor 26 runs more slowly and the motor 27 morequickly. Despite these different rotational speeds—of either the one orthe other motor—the belt circulates in the same direction and always atthe speed of the motor running more slowly.

However, the belt is not driven constantly, but, for example, after aperiod of 1-4 minutes both motors are stopped and only started up againafter a time to be regulated individually. Through this the relativelysolid manure resting on the upper belt half 4 has sufficient time todrain and also to already dry in advance. The lower belt half 5 isimmersed in the urine collecting there and, since the actual manureconveyor belt 1 is a perforated plastic belt, this perforated plasticbelt now conveys the urine to the urine collection channel 7, while atthe same time the solid manure is transferred to the manure collectionchannel 6 and is conveyed away from there.

1. Method for operating a manure transport device for livestock breeding operations with a manure conveyor belt driven in a circulating manner, arranged underneath a manure-permeable stall floor, with two driven return rollers about which the belt circulates, characterized in that both driven return rollers are driven intermittently in the same direction at a different rotational speed and each return roller is driven more quickly or more slowly at intervals.
 2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the different rotational speeds of the two driven return rollers are controlled by frequency controllers.
 3. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the respective duration of the drive of the return rollers is between 1 and 4 minutes.
 4. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the rotational speed of the roller driven more quickly is approx. 1.5 rpm for a roller diameter of approx. 90-110 mm.
 5. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the rotational speed of the return roller driven more slowly is approx. 1 rpm with a roller diameter of approx. 90-110 mm.
 6. Manure transport device for livestock breeding operations, comprising a circulating manure conveyor belt (1) arranged underneath a manure-permeable stall floor and guided around driven return rollers (2, 3), the one return roller (3) of which conveyor belt is adjustably supported for tensioning the belt, characterized in that a) The manure conveyor belt (1) is embodied to be liquid-permeable, b) A manure collection channel (6) is assigned to the discharge end of the upper belt half (4) and a urine collection channel (7) is assigned to the discharge end of the lower belt half (5), c) At least the lower belt half (5) runs in a liquid-tight trough (9).
 7. Manure transport device according to claim 6, characterized in that the manure conveyor belt (1) comprises a perforated plastic belt.
 8. Manure transport device according to claim 6, characterized in that the return rollers (2, 3) are made of stainless steel.
 9. Manure transport device according to claim 6, characterized in that the ground side of the trough (9) is formed by a plastic sheet.
 10. Manure transport device according to claim 6, characterized in that the walls (10, 11) of the trough (9) are formed by concrete strips.
 11. Manure transport device according to claim 10, characterized by wall elements (28) of plastic to accommodate the concrete, respectively comprising a vertical wall (12), a horizontal base element (14) and an inclined roof part (15) that projects in an inclined manner at least into the interior of the trough.
 12. Manure transport device according to claim 11, characterized in that the roof part (15) also projects to the rear of the vertical wall (12).
 13. Manure transport device according to claim 11, characterized by tubular eyelets (16) at least on the inside of the vertical walls (12) to accommodate bars or wires (19) to connect the wall elements (28) in the longitudinal direction.
 14. Manure transport device according to claim 11, characterized by perforated sheet metal elements (17) to connect the wall elements (28) in the transverse direction.
 15. Manure transport device according to claim 6, characterized by bearing rods (20) for the upper belt half (4) supported in the walls (10, 11). 